The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-09
FLATTERING FIGURES.
An Immense Improvement Over the Re
publican Pension Policy.


ing the last two years of the Republic
an rule and the first two years of thu
democratic Administration speaks vol
umes. The records of the Government
are, of course. kept by fiscal years, thu
appropriations being made by Congress
in that manner:
In the year ending June 80. 1888
under the administration of w. w. bud
ley, there were 81. 279 pension certifi
Gates issued. of which number SO, 161
were original cases, and the remainder
increase and miscellaneous claims
For the fiscal year ending June 80
1884, the total number of certificate:
issued was Sc, 729, of which 81, 100 wer,
and miscellaneous cases. In the mex
fiscal year, up to the 18th of March
1885, when the present Commissioner
entered upon the duties of his office
there were 80, 154 certificates of al
kinds issued. From March II up tc
June so of the same year, period Of
only two months and half, there
were issued 81, 252 pension certificates.
The fiscal year ending June 80
1886, made splendid showing fol
the new administration, there hav.
ing been issued 1864 pension
certificates, 1882 of which were
original eases. In that same fiscal
year of 1886 there were also is
sued 1895 supplemental certificates
to widows and dependent relatives
whose pension had been increased by
the act of March 10, 1SS6-a grand
total for that one year of 159, 6i3 allow
anceS. These supplemental certificates
were issued within very few months
after the passage of the law, the Com
missioner of Pensions having person
sonally directed how the work should
be done. At no time in the history of
the office has such an enormous num-
Der of pensions been increased without
interference with the regular work of
the office, or without a call upon Con-
gress for additional help. From the
1st of July, 1886, up to and including
the 3Oth of April, 1887, there were a.
COS certificates issued, of which 81, $50
were original cases.
There is yet remaining one month
of the present fiscal year, and the re-
suit will be magnificent showing,
greater by far than any previous year
in the history of the office. 1t should
be borne in mind that this immense
amount of work has been performed
with reduction of the clerical force
of over 100. With the administration
of the present Commissioner a new era
was inaugurated in the Pension Bureau.
He determined to conduct the office
upon strict business principles. and re-
quired that the entire time of the
clerical force during office hours should
be devoted to the consideration and
transaction of the public business. and
the settlement of long delayed pension
claims. As one result of this regula-
ton the fiscal year exhibited saving
in the matter of leaves of absence of
1864 days of the aggregate time of
the clerical force, or forty-two years,
eleven months and four days of the
time OF single clerk.
In the year of 1886 the present Com
missioner turned over to the treasury
one hundred thousand dollars (S100,-
0O0) of unexpended appropriations on
account of the hire of clerical force, and
he effected saving in the same year
in the item of stationery of over
thirteen thousand dollars Q3,OOO-
this notwithstanding the fact that the
business of the bureau has been very
largely increased.
1t was formerly the practice that
when a pension claim had been neg
lected-that is, when the claimant or
his attorney had failed to call up the
case for a certain length of time, to
mark the case abandoned" and con-
slider it in about the same light as a re-
jected case. The Commissioner re-
versed this unjust practice, and re-
quired of his chiefs that all claims
should be given a chance of being con-
sidered and finally adjudicated. Every
case filed during his administration
has received prompt attention. and his
order that all cases filed prior to his
entry into office should be examined
before the 1st of June has already been
fully complied with. and there is not a
single case in the pending files of the
office which has not been examined, and
in which steps have not been taken to-
ward It's final settlement. To illustrate
the enormous increase in the business
of the Pension Bureau, during the
month of March, 1884, there were re-
ceived 1888 pieces of mail matter,
and there were sent out from the office
141, 1898 circulars and letters. In the
month of March, 1887, there were re-
ceived 2S7. 1858 pieces of mail mat
ter, and there were stem out from
the Office 1873, JAP letters and circu-
lars.
The following table will show the |
number of pension certificates issued |
during the fiscal years ending June so, |
1888. 1884, 1885, 1886, and for the year
1887 up to the 3Oth of April:
1888. 1884. 1885. 1856. I Iss5 80 90